Your Paparazzi Forever
by SideshowJazz1
Summary: Valentine's Day fic. Years after TD, Cody is twenty-two, in a dead end job, and he drinks. Can a figure from his past and a song by Lady Gaga change all that? Mainly Coderra friendship, but hey, it's still a loving friendship. Please review...oh, and listen to Lady Gaga's song "Paparazzi".


**A/N: This is for Valentine's Day! I was racking my brains, trying to think, listened to a bit of Lady Gaga...and picked the obvious song. Well, unless you feel the obvious song is a character's name – yeah, I love Aleheather way too much, but this focuses on a different couple, with a different song.**

**Plot: It's been a few years since Total Drama. Cody is in a dead-end job, single, and he drinks to forget. But on karaoke night, his own personal "Paparazzi" comes back into his life...Coderra. Not sure how much of this is romantic or OOC, but try to enjoy it anyway. Just remember – the characters are older. If you think Sierra is too OOC, remember that she's in her twenties.**

**Oh, and it might be a good idea to listen to Lady Gaga's song "Paparazzi" while reading.**

The young man sat slumped at the bar, sipping carefully at the whisky. He wouldn't have bothered being careful, but he had a delicate stomach, and if he gulped too quickly, he'd throw up long before he'd feel like he'd had enough. This was only his second glass, but already, his blue eyes were bloodshot.

He let out a sigh. So this was his life. Cody Anderson, ex-reality show star, already a washed-up failure at twenty-two, single and bitter, in a dead-end job. He didn't even look like a success, still small and slight, with life-threatening allergies and a puppyish look about him, almost no different from how he'd looked as a teenager. What had happened? He was smart as a kid, an expert at chess, mathmatically minded, artistic enough to construct a sculpture of a girl's face out of boat materials...he sighed again as the pale face, framed by dark hair and with midnight blue lips smiling softly at him, popped into his mind.

_Gwen. _To be honest, he'd let go of his long-standing crush on Gwen long ago, but whenever the thought of her crossed his mind, he felt the teenage him giving him a nudge, reminding him painfully that he'd done everything to make her happy...yet she'd never liked him the way he'd liked her. He'd lost touch with her – in fact, after his time on Total Drama ended, he'd lost touch with everyone throughout the years. And now, Cody was alone. He'd never found anyone that would like him unconditionally. He'd dated a few times, sure, but it had never lasted long. He never had anyone who loved him.

Well, there had been one girl. Another face appeared in his mind, bright, smiling enthusiastically, vibrant purple hair, and a familiar voice squealed his name in his head. He'd been too overwhelmed to take advantage of a girl who actually wanted to be with him, and he'd been a bit afraid of her, anyway, but now he looked back...should he have tried dating her?

At that moment, he looked up, hearing sudden quiet. It was karaoke night in the bar, and random people had gone up and sang something. Five years ago, he would've gotten up and sang the Friendzoned song. Someone had just finished their rather wild song – he'd sung something by Skillet, and the silence was refreshing.

Cody turned his attention back to his drink, but he heard the next person speak. "Um, hi. I...I'd like to dedicate this song to my first crush. We were good friends back then...but I guess, I kind of came on too strong. If you're listening, I may have moved on, but I will always love you."

Cody's head jerked up. He knew that voice! It was quieter, more mature, less exuberant than he remembered, but he recognized it, all the same. He couldn't see the girl's face, since it was too dark, but the karaoke screen started up, and the girl began singing.

"_We are the crowd, we're c-coming out..."_

The light was still too dim, but if one of the karaoke shots lit up, he'd make sure the girl was who he thought. Already, he saw from her silhouette that she was tall. That was a good sign. She continued singing, and then began to belt out the chorus. As she did, Cody couldn't help seeing the truth in the lyrics of the girl that he'd repeatedly rejected – she had been just like the paparazzi, never leaving him alone, refusing to let go of the idea that he was the perfect boy and that he would be hers one day.

All too soon, the bridge began, and the karaoke screen lit up, finally revealing the girl's face. Cody took a good look at her. Her makeup was much more subtle, and her ponytail was swept over her shoulder. Her expression was dreamy, and he could tell that whatever she wasn't seeing, it wasn't the dim bar. But as he looked at her, the truth hit him. Of course, he couldn't have helped suspecting it was her, but he'd been thinkng about her at the time – it could have just been wistful speculation. But no. As he stared at her, his lips moved, although no sound came out.

"_Sierra?"_

The former fangirl was finishing the last chorus..."..._papa-paparazzi..." _Her voice faded with the light of the screen. As she left the stage, Cody couldn't help but watch her as she left the bar.

He paused for a moment. Maybe the alcohol was getting to him, or maybe it was just an impulse, but Cody abandoned his glass and followed her.

Luckily, she hadn't gotten far. She was waiting at a bus stop, huddled in the shelter. She was visibly shivering, since the night was unusually cold for early autumn and her outfit was a simple minidress and sandals, which had been perfect during the day. As Cody looked at his former stalker again, he felt the feeling of familiarity run through him, and images from that fateful season of the show ran through his mind, and conversations and comments that he almost fondly remembered, although they'd terrified him when he'd first heard them.

"_Oh my gosh, Cody, I've dreamt of this moment, only you weren't wearing a shirt!"_

"_Oh dear Cody, if one of us drowns, I want it to be me!"_

"_Awwww, you're so cute when you're terrified."_

"_This one's for Cody!"_

"_It's official! That kiss just consummated our marriage!"_

"_I knew my love potion would cure you eventually!"_

Cody inwardly shuddered a little when he remembered the teenage Sierra's lack of kissing skills, but he couldn't hold that against her, really. Besides, all she'd really wanted to do was show her affection. Slowly, he slumped on the bus stop bench beside her, starting to doubt his decision to follow her out there.

The young woman glanced up as she heard the presence beside her, and suddenly did a double take. "_Cody? _Is that you?"

Cody looked up at the dark eyes fixed on him. He smiled shyly. "Hi, Sierra."

He could tell that the girl was trying hard to keep calm, although she began talking so fast that he could barely keep up with her. "I can't believe it, I haven't seen you since Total Drama World Tour, even though I tried to keep in touch. What happened, I can't find you on Facebook and after you lost your old phone you never told me your new number and I've really missed you!" She sounded like the old Sierra, back when she was younger. Yeah, there was a reason Cody never gave Sierra his new number – she'd been so obsessive back then.

Cody chuckled at her long stream of words. "Slow down. I can't understand what you're saying."

Sierra took a deep breath and spoke slower. "Sorry." she said with a sheepish smile. "I know I talk too fast sometimes. You probably remember."

Cody laughed properly. "True, I do remember that. But at least you haven't crushed me with a hug yet."

Sierra laughed too. "I guess I grew up. But I haven't forgotten. I was just thinking, tonight in fact, that I guess you never really wanted to give me a chance because I..." she trailed off, starting to realize how Cody had found her. Her eyes flickered to the bar. "You heard me sing, didn't you?" she said in little more than a whisper.

Cody's gaze went to the ground. That was all Sierra needed to see. "It's okay." she said. "If there was one person I wanted to hear me, it would be you. I mean, I dedicated it to you."

"I know." Cody murmured. At that moment, Sierra's bus appeared in the distance, and the girl stood, quickly pulling a piece of paper out of her bag, scribbling a number on it.

She gave it to Cody. "Keep in touch this time, okay?" she asked. "I still love you. I don't want to lose touch."

Cody looked at her, taking her in. He nodded. "I'll put it in my phone." he promised, meaning it this time.

Sierra's old smile came to her face as the bus drew up. She hugged him briefly, this time being gentle. "Take care, Cody." she said softly. "I love you."

Cody smiled as he watched his old castmate climb into the bus. "Love you too." he murmured, although he admitted to himself that his feelings were strictly platonic. But to be honest, he did kind of love her, even if it wasn't the romantic kind of love.

Cody began to walk back to the bar, but then he stopped.

He didn't feel like he needed to drink to forget his life.

He didn't want to forget the last few minutes.

**So, what did you think? Too romantic, not romantic enough? Let me know!**


End file.
